ATI Radeon HD 4870 vs HD 7970M Crossfire
Aggregate performance score
We've compared Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire with Radeon HD 4870, including specs and performance data.
HD 7970M Crossfire outperforms HD 4870 by a whopping 336% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in the ranking | 394 | 779 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 0.26 |
| Power efficiency | 5.53 | 1.69 |
| Architecture | GCN (2012−2015) | TeraScale (2005−2013) |
| GPU code name | Wimbledon XT | RV770 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop |
| Release date | 1 May 2012 (13 years ago) | 25 June 2008 (17 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $299 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
The higher the ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices.
Performance to price scatter graph
Detailed specifications
General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.
| Pipelines / CUDA cores | 2560 | 800 |
| Core clock speed | 850 MHz | 750 MHz |
| Number of transistors | no data | 956 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 28 nm | 55 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 200 Watt | 150 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | no data | 30.00 |
| Floating-point processing power | no data | 1.2 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | no data | 16 |
| TMUs | no data | 40 |
| L1 Cache | no data | 160 KB |
| L2 Cache | no data | 256 KB |
Form factor & compatibility
Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).
| Laptop size | large | no data |
| Interface | no data | PCIe 2.0 x16 |
| Length | no data | 250 mm |
| Width | no data | 2-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | no data | 2x 6-pin |
VRAM capacity and type
Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.
| Memory type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Maximum RAM amount | no data | 1 GB |
| Memory bus width | 2x 256 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 4800 MHz | 900 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | no data | 115.2 GB/s |
| Shared memory | - | - |
Connectivity and outputs
This section shows the types and number of video connectors on each GPU. The data applies specifically to desktop reference models (for example, NVIDIA’s Founders Edition). OEM partners often modify both the number and types of ports. On notebook GPUs, video‐output options are determined by the laptop’s design rather than the graphics chip itself.
| Display Connectors | no data | 2x DVI, 1x S-Video |
API and SDK support
List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 11.1 | 10.1 (10_1) |
| Shader Model | no data | 4.1 |
| OpenGL | no data | 3.3 |
| OpenCL | no data | 1.1 |
| Vulkan | - | N/A |
Gaming performance
Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.
Average FPS across all PC games
Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:
| 900p | 132
+340%
| 30−35
−340%
|
| Full HD | 102
+386%
| 21−24
−386%
|
Cost per frame, $
| 1080p | no data | 14.24 |
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low
| Counter-Strike 2 | 80−85
+356%
|
18−20
−356%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 30−35
+343%
|
7−8
−343%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 27−30
+350%
|
6−7
−350%
|
Full HD
Medium
| Battlefield 5 | 60−65
+357%
|
14−16
−357%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 80−85
+356%
|
18−20
−356%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 30−35
+343%
|
7−8
−343%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 45−50
+380%
|
10−11
−380%
|
| Fortnite | 80−85
+361%
|
18−20
−361%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 60−65
+408%
|
12−14
−408%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 45−50
+360%
|
10−11
−360%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 27−30
+350%
|
6−7
−350%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 50−55
+350%
|
12−14
−350%
|
| Valorant | 120−130
+352%
|
27−30
−352%
|
Full HD
High
| Battlefield 5 | 60−65
+357%
|
14−16
−357%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 80−85
+356%
|
18−20
−356%
|
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 190−200
+338%
|
45−50
−338%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 30−35
+343%
|
7−8
−343%
|
| Dota 2 | 90−95
+343%
|
21−24
−343%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 45−50
+380%
|
10−11
−380%
|
| Fortnite | 80−85
+361%
|
18−20
−361%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 60−65
+408%
|
12−14
−408%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 45−50
+360%
|
10−11
−360%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 55−60
+358%
|
12−14
−358%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 27−30
+350%
|
6−7
−350%
|
| Metro Exodus | 30−35
+343%
|
7−8
−343%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 50−55
+350%
|
12−14
−350%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 35−40
+388%
|
8−9
−388%
|
| Valorant | 120−130
+352%
|
27−30
−352%
|
Full HD
Ultra
| Battlefield 5 | 60−65
+357%
|
14−16
−357%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 30−35
+343%
|
7−8
−343%
|
| Dota 2 | 90−95
+343%
|
21−24
−343%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 45−50
+380%
|
10−11
−380%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 60−65
+408%
|
12−14
−408%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 27−30
+350%
|
6−7
−350%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 50−55
+350%
|
12−14
−350%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 35−40
+388%
|
8−9
−388%
|
| Valorant | 120−130
+352%
|
27−30
−352%
|
Full HD
Epic
| Fortnite | 80−85
+361%
|
18−20
−361%
|
1440p
High
| Counter-Strike 2 | 27−30
+367%
|
6−7
−367%
|
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 100−110
+354%
|
24−27
−354%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 24−27
+380%
|
5−6
−380%
|
| Metro Exodus | 18−20
+350%
|
4−5
−350%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 140−150
+377%
|
30−33
−377%
|
| Valorant | 150−160
+400%
|
30−33
−400%
|
1440p
Ultra
| Battlefield 5 | 40−45
+356%
|
9−10
−356%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 12−14
+550%
|
2−3
−550%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 30−35
+357%
|
7−8
−357%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 35−40
+350%
|
8−9
−350%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 16−18
+433%
|
3−4
−433%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 21−24
+340%
|
5−6
−340%
|
1440p
Epic
| Fortnite | 30−35
+371%
|
7−8
−371%
|
4K
High
| Counter-Strike 2 | 10−12
+450%
|
2−3
−450%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 27−30
+350%
|
6−7
−350%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 9−10
+350%
|
2−3
−350%
|
| Metro Exodus | 10−12
+450%
|
2−3
−450%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 20−22
+400%
|
4−5
−400%
|
| Valorant | 80−85
+350%
|
18−20
−350%
|
4K
Ultra
| Battlefield 5 | 21−24
+425%
|
4−5
−425%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 10−12
+450%
|
2−3
−450%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 5−6
+400%
|
1−2
−400%
|
| Dota 2 | 50−55
+342%
|
12−14
−342%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 16−18
+433%
|
3−4
−433%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 24−27
+400%
|
5−6
−400%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 9−10
+350%
|
2−3
−350%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 14−16
+367%
|
3−4
−367%
|
4K
Epic
| Fortnite | 14−16
+400%
|
3−4
−400%
|
This is how HD 7970M Crossfire and ATI HD 4870 compete in popular games:
- HD 7970M Crossfire is 340% faster in 900p
- HD 7970M Crossfire is 386% faster in 1080p
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 13.70 | 3.14 |
| Recency | 1 May 2012 | 25 June 2008 |
| Chip lithography | 28 nm | 55 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 200 Watt | 150 Watt |
HD 7970M Crossfire has a 336.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, and a 96.4% more advanced lithography process.
ATI HD 4870, on the other hand, has 33.3% lower power consumption.
The Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 4870 in performance tests.
Be aware that Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire is a notebook graphics card while Radeon HD 4870 is a desktop one.
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